Concerns About the List of Most Hated Countries

adminNote: This post was previously a thread on the since retired TheTopTens forum.

Over the past few days, we have seen a surge in traffic to the list of Most Hated Countries. Understandably, this has led to some backlash. We have received multiple messages from people demanding that we remove the list, discount votes, show where votes are coming from, or block certain people from being able to vote.

The main argument for removing the list is that it is offensive and could possibly incite violence. This is a valid concern but there are a couple of points we want to make here. First, we are not generating the comments or the votes. Visitors to the site are. The things people are saying are things that they would be saying whether or not we had the list. Removing the list does not change that. Instead, removing the list serves only to restrict information. It is much better to let everybody share their views, good or bad, and let discerning individuals determine what is the truth. So many of the comments left accuse people of fabricating history which is a byproduct of limiting information.

As for the list being offensive, based on our analytics, visitors to the list are not simply stumbling across it. They are actively seeking it out and know they are visiting an inflammatory page before they even get there. If someone has a reasonable expectation that seeing something may be offensive, and they look at it anyway, is it really fair to blame the thing they are looking at?

And inciting violence? As has already been mentioned, the opinions expressed on the list exist whether or not the list itself was ever created. If people choose to be violent based on an unofficial opinion poll on a relatively unknown website operated half a world away, then they were going to be violent anyway.

Next on the list is discounting votes. It has been asked that we put less weight on votes from people from certain nations, voting for certain items, etc. While we do have measures in place to detect and discount fraudulent voting, it is a very slippery slope to start weighing votes based on who placed them. TheTopTens is a democratic voting site where everyone plays by the same rules. But if we start applying votes as we see fit, it is no longer a site reflecting the opinions of the people voting, it is a site that reflects the opinions of our staff alone. And then the whole voting system becomes meaningless.

Certainly, there are lists on TheTopTens that do not accurately represent the opinions of the global community. Doing so would require that we get a representative sample of everyone in the world. But what they do it represent the opinions of the people voting on each list.

While we are talking about the people voting on each list, here's the requested breakdown as of the morning of 9/8/12 of the voting nations on the list of Most Hated Countries:

There are plenty of positive options, but people are choosing to participate in voting on a negative list instead.

Ultimately, if you don't like the list, you don't have to view it. There are too many beautiful things in this world to spend your time doing things you don't like or worrying about things that in the grand scheme of things, don't really matter.

Comments

Thank you for answering my request, showing breakdown of the voting nations.Korean media encouraged voter fraud.http://media.Joinsmsn.com/article/298/9268298.html? Ctg=1300We are not so stupid as to drop the evaluation of Korea illegally.However, if such Korean's behavior is repeated, Korea will be disliked from all over the world.

Korea is the Nation of Media blackout.Http://www.Mt.Co.Kr/view/mtview.php?Type=1&no=2012083108223255359

Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) decided to sanction for blog or internet cafe, or community that describe the content of deprecating Korea and praising Japanese. As corrective action, KCSC issued delete or disconnect primarily for the Internet community, blogs, etc.

They educated by Korean school in Japan and some of are living on welfare in Japan. - visitor (5/7/2013)

I wanna show the ranking WITHOUT the votes from South Korea and Japan.

Now this is absolutely unfair rank by block votes of these countries, and it will be done in future.I recommend to exclude the IP address who has unfairness (especially Korea, china and Japan) ASAP! - visitor (5/7/2013)

> I wanna show the ranking WITHOUT the votes from South Korea and Japan.

Unfortunately, Koreans will vote via proxy servers all over the world or will use similar techniques. This is basically same as Distributed DOS and how they attack servers in the world. - visitor (5/7/2013)

I can't hate any country. I don't understand why you people are hating? - visitor (5/7/2013)

It's the government, not the people of the country - visitor (8/20/2015)

Just ban South Koreans and Japanese IPs in this poll and clear every votes from these countries. - Emmer3000(1/20/2014)

Admin, where you make the point that people actively search for this list, I think that with the list appearing in the search box whenever someone searches "hate" or "countries", presumably due to the amount of activity there, I would argue that this makes it easier for users of this site to "stumble" upon this list. I would also argue that even though users still say these things about certain countries irrespective of the list, I would argue that this list would serve as a hub for offensive information. By this logic, I would state that this list is a quick link to abhorrent data, which any user of the site is likely to find, and may further incite crime and violence, as well as offense. So I would say that the benefits of removing this list greatly outweigh the costs. Better to restrict abusive comments than information in general. - visitor (2/19/2014)

A couple of counter points:

1) Even though someone sees the link to the list in the search box or anywhere else on the site, it is still their choice to click on it.

2) Relatively few people include the words "country" or "countries" in their searches and of those that do, many are specifically looking for the list of hated countries.

3) A tiny fraction of the people viewing the list found it via the search tool or another link on the site. The vast majority of people viewing the list came to the site with the specific intention of viewing it.

We are not solely basing our rationale on theory. The numbers are clear. As we stated above, people are not simply stumbling across the list. In nearly all cases, it is an intentional act that takes someone there. - admin(2/19/2014)

Yeah peeps need to be cool about it and not be mean - Batmaniscole(4/13/2015)

I know people are racist but this is wrong - mew28221(4/15/2015)

Yah - 123samia(5/4/2015)

Wow. You are defending an offensive list? You didn't do that with the Overrated Users list, did you? No, you deleted it. I think it's time the same thing happens to this list. - visitor (4/23/2015)

Wow I can't believe the administrator enjoys this list I am amazed that you guys don't delete this. Do you like how much you get traffic you get for this list? I just can't believe you keep this list. I bet you guys are very proud and laughing your butts off reading offensive comments. - visitor (5/6/2015)

Enjoy the list? No. But we do not restrict this site to lists the administration enjoys. - admin(5/7/2015)

I don't really like the most hated countries list. But good job, admin. You did have a good point. - EpicJake(6/6/2015)

Thank you. I was shocked to read what people are writing about my country and others. Just because we have a bad history does not mean we are bad people. What our ancestors did may have been cruel and wrong but that doesn't mean you have to hate us and called us racist. In case you are wondering, I am from the UK. I have read comments complaining about the slave trade, war and all that stuff. Please stop. We can't change history. - visitor (7/29/2015)

According to this admin, "trolling" and "flamewars" = "opinions".

Might as well make a list of "Most Hated Sites" and put TheTopTens as #1...oh wait, it would be deleted just like the "Overrated Users List" was...but sure, let's leave such a stupid and innacurate list like Most Hated Countries up and going, for the sake of "democracy".

You make me sick. - TheoHel(9/16/2015)

There are lists of worst websites, websites with the worst administrators, and worst designed websites. TheTopTens is on all three. - admin(9/21/2015)

Please, I've been involved in several flame wars. What you're saying is false. And our site is not bad at all, and admin deserves more appreciation. The only problem I have with this site now is the no swear rule. That rule I don't understand. - Therandom(9/21/2015)

What I'm saying is false? How about you go back to that list and check out Japan or South Korea, then tell me that what I've said so far is false. - TheoHel(9/28/2015)

Oh please, don't take attacks on your country too personally. Please DO NOT DELETE THIS LIST. - visitor (1/30/2016)